Media release

From: NICM

In a paper published in Culture, Health & Sexuality, the researchers report that menstruation remains a taboo topic even for Middle Eastern women who were born in Australia, which had negative implications for the way they experienced their first period (known as menarche) and ongoing menstrual management.

They also found that concerns about maintaining virginity before marriage influenced which period products they felt comfortable using and what types of treatment they considered acceptable for period pain.

Some of the participant insights referenced in the paper include:

• “No one talks about it … we just never talked about it.”
• “I suffered with pain a lot more when I was in high school. I remember just sitting in bed all night and I felt bad, and I didn’t really have a way to manage it … I just went on for years being in pain every month …”
• “Using a tampon or a cup is something that was never, not once, ever discussed … Tampons were taboo because of the sex thing and now using the cup that’s just like crazy to my family.”

First author Christine Saleh, a middle eastern woman herself, undertook this research as part of her Master of Research to help shine a light on some of the experiences that women from culturally and linguistically diverse communities may have with regards to menstruation.

Her interest in this topic was shaped by her own observations growing up in a community where discussions about periods were often taboo, private, or influenced by cultural and religious expectations.

“Our understanding and management of menstrual symptoms, including period pain, is informed by social, cultural and religious beliefs and practices. But we also know that the majority of research and health information on period management in Australia has focused on Caucasian women,” she said.

“Our study aimed to address this gap by exploring how cultural and religious discourses and practices impact on the knowledge, diagnosis and management of menstrual pain among Middle Eastern women living in Australia using a combination of cross-sectional survey and focus group data.”

Associate Professor Mike Armour, Associate Professor in Reproductive Health and Director of Research at NICM, said:

“Cultural beliefs shape treatment choices. For women to access the best possible health care, health information about period pain needs to be designed together with Middle Eastern communities to ensure it's culturally appropriate and sensitive to religious beliefs.”